IACUC

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

The IACUC is appointed by the Executive Director for Health Sciences Administration, under authority delegated from the President of the University, to oversee and make recommendations to University officials regarding the institution’s use of animals. Nominally, the procedures and protocols for animal research within UW facilities cannot be taken without having the green light from IACUC. They are charged with the task of making inspections and making sure procedures are within regulations. However, IACUC routinely rubber-stamps projects without serious review, and is not a rigorous authority, as evidenced by the consistent uncovering of evidence of abuse.

While they are not directly involved in actual animal research, they nevertheless are the ones that sign the death sentences for thousands of animals, even to be as “helpful” as to give procedural guidelines on the “proper” way to snap the necks of birds to kill them. Committee members consistently approve invasive protocols that means certain misery and death for thousands of animals a year.

And thanks to the passage of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the government will provide extra grant money through the National Institutes of Health for hundreds more projects involving the use of animals, and as the NIH is mandated to grant the money quickly, they require regulatory approvals in short notice. This means that IACUC will likely fast-track approval of protocols to ensure that grants are given. With the extra workload from new grant proposals and the short deadline required, serious oversight will be sacrificed in service of expedience.

Nona Philips Director, Office of Animal Welfare
Phone: 206-543-3818
nonap@u.washington.edu

Doug Fitts IACUC Review Scientist
Phone: 206-685-0784
dfitts@u.washington.edu

J. Preston Van Hooser IACUC Review Scientist, Manager of Training Operations and Compliance Officer
Phone: 206-616-8417
jpvh@u.washington.edu

Kelly Tysseling IACUC Review Scientist
Phone: 206-685-7475
kat44@u.washington.edu

Michelle Brot IACUC Review Scientist
Phone: 206-221-0891
mbrot@u.washington.edu

Tena Petersen Manager of Program Operations
Phone: 206-543-9678
tena@u.washington.edu

Sara Samuelson Scientific Instructor
Phone: 206-543-4920
arajay@u.washington.edu

Jennifer Noell Animal Use Training Coordinator
Phone: 206-221-7709
auts@u.washington.edu

Maggie M. de Hoyos IACUC Site Visitor Coordinator
Phone: 206-685-7027
mag411@u.washington.edu

Kerri Kuykendall Decentralized Coordinator
Phone: 206-211-2396
kerrik2@u.washington.edu

Adrienne Buesa Program Coordinator
Phone: 206-685-7363
akb3@u.washington.edu

Michelle Newman IACUC Review Scientist
Phone: 206-685-4481
mnewma@u.washington.edu

Tony Nguyen Program Coordinator
Phone:  206-685-9719
tonytn@u.washington.edu

Coralie Baker Compliance Advisor
Phone: 206-685-6923
corbaker@u.washington.edu

Kelly Heffernan Compliance Advisor
Phone: 206-616-3625
ksh@u.washington.edu